Malawi shuts door on foreign coaches

Malawi Football Association has closed the door on foreign coaches, saying local tacticians have shown a character, national team 'Flames' need. FA president Walter Nyamilandu said even if Malawi qualifies for World Cup in South Africa the incumbent, Kinnah Phiri, would enjoy highest priority.

He said his association will never repeat the 1984 mistake of replacing a local coach with a European man Danny McLeinnan.

In 1984 it is reported that when local coach, Henry Moyo, steered Malawi team to African Nations Cup in Ivory Coast for the very first time ever, authorities replaced him with a European man because they doubted his capability at such a high level.

Consequently the team was bundled out from the showcase in the early stages after losing to Cameroon and hosts Ivory Coast. The players only managed to leave legacy of individual brilliance.

Nyamilandu said: “No more foreign coaches, it is a closed chapter to Malawi football now.

“We will never recruit European coaches, not during our time, we have wasted our money and we have wasted our time and energy, this experience is a good teacher,” said Nyamilandu.

He was referring to two recent European coaches who simply messed up the team despite receiving larger than life salaries. The two are German born, Burkhard Ziese, and Stephen Costantine. The latter resigned after losing to Mozambique in Nations Cup for local based players.

Chronicling how Malawi team of 1984 qualified for Africa Nations Cup Moyo said it was a case of brilliance combined with crude determination.

“Self belief is the answer. During that time we had players like Kinnah Phiri himself, Ernest Mtawali, Jack Chamangwana, Young Chimodzi, Late Clifton Msiya, Harry and Lawrence Waya, Frank Sinalo, Reuben Malola, Holman and Kennedy Malunga among others.“We beat the former Madagascar team which was made up of fine professional footballers of those days, to qualify for the final tourney and we managed to hold Nigeria of those days,” he said.

Meanwhile FAM has asked government to consider upping Kinnah’s perks as a motivating premise. Government is yet to make a statement on the request made by FAM president Walter Nyamilandu during a reception for the team in Blantyre.

Kinnah has since indicated that he would like the team to go into camp earlier in January in readiness for the third round which kicks off next March.